


Warmth in winter

by Trash_King



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-06
Updated: 2012-09-06
Packaged: 2017-11-13 16:51:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/505654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trash_King/pseuds/Trash_King
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norway meets Belarus.<br/>A romance develops slowly between the two nations. <br/>Russia may or may not necessarily approve of their budding romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warmth in winter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Vethrfolnir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vethrfolnir/gifts).



Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.  
Note: This is written for a friend of mine (Vethrfolnir), based off a roleplay she had going on with a Belarus.  
If you are that Belarus, please get back to her? 

 

The first time he spotted her, was in an old abandoned park south of the city he’d been assigned to then. 

The client who had hired him sent someone else to pick up the briefcase in his stead. 

‘Such a foolish decision,’ He remembered thinking as he looked up at the conniving smile of the Russian man,’ He looks more likely to turn on you at the slightest chance he gets than work with you.’

She had remained hidden within the shadows of the neglected trees through the entire exchange he had with the Russian, presumably to keep an eye on the Norwegian and attack if something is amiss. 

As if, he’d do anything like that. Keeping an even and straight face, he’d dealt with everything in his usual composed manner. Deals were exchanged. Promises kept. Contracts signed and dealt with.

Nikolaj turned back just in time to see wisps of silvery white hair flowing out of sight as the woman retreats further into the darkness. 

 

 

The second time he saw her, was in his own homeland, much to his surprise. 

He had been in the middle of reaching his daily coffee consumption quota at the coffee shop he so favored, when the image of long silvery white tresses moved past his peripheral sight and he had glanced over to see their owner moving to the back of the shop. 

A simple glance at her was enough to determine that she was the woman hiding behind the trees from that time. A second look told him that this was no ordinary woman. 

The person seated in that very corner nursing her own cup of coffee was none other than the headstrong younger sister of Russia. And she was here. In Norway.   
Which probably meant that Russia is here somewhere as well.

It really isn’t proper to visit someone else’s turf without giving a proper heads up. Not wishing for many misunderstanding to occur, as well as no other reason than being a little bored, he’d decided to approach her and initiate a conversation that marked the beginning of something beautiful.

“Hei der, Hviterussland.”

 

 

A conversation was had. Stiff and cordial at first, growing gradually less hostile and warmer definitely.  
In the eyes of the public, Natalya would be someone who possessed a sharp glacial beauty and mysterious intelligence, unnerving people with her aloof personality. 

Intimidating and headstrong, with blue-purple eyes of determination and courage, she spoke in curt and straightforward words, very much the type who has not a care for making pleasantries or conversation even. It is understandable to see how one would find her presence disquieting. 

Yet, Nikolaj soon found himself realizing how everyone has mistaken her so. 

He had never been one who would allow their own opinions to be swayed by others without first experiencing and understanding the situation or subject himself.   
Therefore he was more than pleased to find out that the silly gossipmongers were very much off the mark. 

It is true that Natalya appears aloof, but once she becomes comfortable with you, she is genuine and relaxed.  
She is very much up to date with current situations of the nations worldwide, even though she is not involved directly in most. 

Her words hold subtle humor, and quiet assurance. The Belarusian knows when to be serious and when to allow her amusement to show. 

Conversation with her is both pleasant and interesting once the ice have been broken.   
The man found himself sharing more of his views with her in growing appreciation as they discovered that they share quite a number of similarities. 

Unfortunately, their conversation ended in the midst of them discussing the EU and the economic crisis, when Russia abruptly turned up at the very same café and explained something about England’s spell backfiring and about how he was going to “have several good long talks with him about the issue.”

The Russian had stopped in the middle of attempting to get Belarus to loosen her hold on him and gave the Norwegian an unreadable look for a moment or so as if in contemplation, much to his confusion then.

 

 

It wasn’t until their third meeting that he understood why.   
They had been discussing certain topics including governance, when the other had slipped and he’d moved to catch her before she fell and hit the ground. 

The look of surprise in her eyes and the slight rosiness in her cheeks made his own fill with the same pale pinkness, and his heart beat just a tiny fraction faster.   
They’d stayed and talked, sometimes using their own languages and sometimes in English. 

It mattered not which language they spoke in, for they understood each other just fine.  
It pleased him so to have come to realize that Belarus too, taught it important to learn the basics of other languages.

And when the time comes for Belarus to take her leave again, he lifted a hand to stop her. 

“Call me Nikolaj, ja?”

She had turned and given him an amused smile and a little nod. 

“I will. If you will call me, Natalya.”

Natalya. Her name had rolled from the tip of his tongue, a little foreign and new.

But her smile had grown brighter, and the affection he knew for her only grew to match its intensity.

 

 

Over time, the Norwegian found his affection for the somewhat eccentric Belarusian growing stronger and stronger with each visit.   
He had taken to lingering just a little longer in his favorite coffee shop, if only to catch a glimpse of Natalya. 

Sometimes, he was rewarded by a stroke of luck, or perhaps coincidence. Other times, he was not.   
Still, he found himself taken aback over the fact that he looked forward immensely to her sporadic visits.

Natalya Alfroskaya was very much like the blades she wields- tough and capable, sharp and keen, with a brilliance none could ever get close enough to see without being sliced apart. She was like the snow that covered both his homeland and hers- Powerful enough to decimate others in her wake on one side, peaceful and gentle on the other. 

And perhaps, the Norwegian found himself entertaining the most dangerous of ideas, perhaps he could endeavor to draw their relations closer?   
He’d certainly like to get to know Natalya better without caring about complicated nation matters…

He’d waited patiently for the appropriate moment to make his intentions known to the other. There were moments in which he had to resist the urge to surprise her with the question, but for the sake of manners and timing, he waited. 

Tonight, Nikolaj Kristiansen decided that he had waited long enough…

 

 

As expected, she was out alone on the balcony, gazing up at the night sky with a pensive look on her face.   
There in the soft dim lighting, away from the ballroom filled with joyous dancers and their partners, she stood having a moment of her own.

“Not dancing? M’surprised.”

Nikolaj decided to sneak behind her and tap her lightly on her shoulder before retreating and holding out both hands in an ‘I surrender’ gesture with an expression of subtle fondness when the other reacted with a small sharp double-edged knife pointed to his face. 

He allowed himself a little chuckle as she relaxed and pretended to give him a cross look before slipping a small smile of her own at him. 

“If it were anyone else besides you and braht, I might have gone through with that.”

“ Ja. You would,” he conceded as he watched her slip her weapon away, “Not up fer’ dancing?”

At that, she wrinkled her nose slightly at him and scowled as she cast a glance towards the opened balcony doors. 

“Braht is nowhere to be seen. And I do not see the point in it.”

 

The Belarusian’s displeasure at having lost sight of her brother was evident; though her good cheer in seeing him was not diminished in its slightest.   
When he mentioned offhandedly that it was such a shame that was, she had given him a coy smile and invited him to dance. 

If only the others could see past her ice cold demeanor, if only they could see her now. He murmured that to her as he gave her a bow and she returned the gesture with a curtsey and a short laugh.

Natalya placed her hands around the other’s shoulders as she swayed along with Nikolaj, allowing the peculiar Norwegian to guide her in the dance.   
She decided she rather liked the way his eyes would catch in the light, glimmering softly with emotion, contentment and something she could not name. 

The Belarusian was secretly glad she had chosen to attend the ball. She had scoffed at the invite when it first arrived to her.   
Public events were never her thing; she would only attend if only to be able to see her dear brother again, without the usual excuses he would give to avoid her. 

Really, was spending a little time with your sister so hard to ask for?   
Well she supposed she could stop bothering him about marriage and all, but that would take the fun out of so many matters. 

Still, she thought to herself with a little smile as she looked at the other, coming was not an entirely bad thing after all.   
They danced together, slow and unhurried, like a sweet melody with grace and peace. 

Her deep blue dress rustled softly as she turned and bent, dipping down low once before turning back and resuming the steps with her dance partner.  
Dancing with Nikolaj… She could get used to this. 

They barely spoke as they danced, both reveling in the moment, too preoccupied to even think of speaking up and possibly breaking the magic of this moment.  
It was only when the song ended and she moved to pull away did Nikolaj react. 

Taking one of her elegant gloved hands in his to prevent her from moving back, he dipped his head slightly and opened his mouth, prepared to ask his question.  
“Natalya I—“

 

 

“Ah, and I was wondering where you went to. There you are, сестра.”

An overly pleasant voice chimed up from behind them and the Norwegian cursed his luck inwardly as he turned around to find an extremely familiar person lounging in the doorway.

“Russland.”

He nodded in curt greeting.

Beside him, Natalya tensed.

Years of reading her older brother’s expression revealed that the Russian was in fact, very very displeased and Natalya tensed up as she watched her brother’s eyes land on their   
hands. Feeling as though she owed the elder an explanation, Belarus slipped her hand out of Norway’s and took a step away from the other as she began to answer with a hastily thought up excuse, only to stop and clamp her mouth shut when Ivan half lifted a hand to signal for her silence. 

She could feel a strange inexplicable tension in the air as Russia studied Nikolaj, eyeing him as one might size up an opponent before a fight and it sets her teeth on edge.  
There was no reason to feel this way, but she did.

“Сестра, won’t you be a dear and go fetch us some champagne? I am sure your…partner should be feeling a little thirsty.” The tone in her brother’s voice held no room for neither objection nor discussion, and she found herself casting one last worried look back at Nikolaj before brushing past her brother as she made her way back in…

 

 

Ivan waited patiently for his sister to slip back in before walking down the step and making his way closer to Norway with his usual smile. His tone was light and friendly as always as he addressed him, though the humor never does quite reach his eyes.  
“Hello there, Норвегия. It seems like you are well.”

 

“Likewise,” the Norwegian replied tersely as he watched the other with wary look, unsure of whether to mark him as a threat or not.   
The Russian had the uncanny ability of always keeping everyone around him on their toes. 

Quite rightly so, seeing as he appears to be a rather whimsical fellow just a touch out of communication with certain parts of his psyche. 

 

“It won’t be long before my Сестра returns, so I shall get right on the point. You see, Норвегия. As a brother, even one as detached as I am, I tend to notice things about my siblings. And it has come to my attention that you—” The Russian stooped slightly so that he was in his personal space.   
Nevertheless, Nikolaj held still, unwilling to be the first to back off.

“You are getting rather close to her, are you not?”

 

“M’not going t’harm her.”  
The Norwegian fixed Ivan with a sturdy reply and a hostile look. A silent warning to back off.

 

Ivan's smile only grew a fraction wider at that.  
Such a firm and unmoving nation. All full of endurance and steely resolve. It makes him wonder how lovely it would be to break that spirit of his, to make his eyes go cold and dead. Makes him wonder how far he can push before the other crumbles.   
But no, he’s not here to do that now.  
Is he?  
Ivan really can’t decide sometimes.

 

“Wouldn’t that be beneficial fer’ the both of us, hm. Even y’can’t deny that, Russland.”  
Norway continued on as he spies the familiar glint in the Russian’s eyes that surely foretold bad news. 

He frowned slightly, refusing to be intimidated. Yes, Ivan unsettled him. He’s danger and unpredictability rolled into one. But he’ll have to deal with that.   
Wouldn’t want to upset Natalya unnecessarily by hurting her brother now.

 

“Oh I have no doubt that you won’t harm her, Норвегия. “

The Russian’s smile only seemed to widen further at that, much to the Norwegian’s displeasure.

“It does seem to be the case, yes. Natalya will find herself more occupied with the one of her true fancies and you would naturally be satisfied with the attention, would you not? I am no fool, Норвегия. I have considered the options myself.”

 

The Norwegian watched as the other continued on.  
“I have come merely to give my blessings and approval as an older brother,” the Russian remarked as his grin morphed into something a little too sharp and wrong to be one of genuine intentions,” And also to urge you to take heed, yes. Natalya’s heart is not for playing. You break it, and I will make you pay. Oh I won’t let the payment be easy or simple. I will have your own heartstrings torn out of your pathetic vessel. That is, not before watching all those important to you fall because of you.”

 

That struck a chord.  
Nikolaj’s expression was one of horror and hostility. 

“Yer’ resortin’ ter threats.”

 

The terrible smile on Ivan’s smile did not fade as the Russian took a step back and turned to walk away. 

“Why yes, I believe I am. You see, when it comes to family, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them. But I suppose you can find that out for yourself…maybe. Good luck Норвегия, I’ll be watching. ”

 

With that, the other left as swiftly as he dropped by, leaving an unsettled Norwegian on the balcony alone, regarding his retreating back with a mixture of apprehension and disbelief. 

 

Nikolaj had no worries. His ‘brothers’ could very well fend for themselves.   
Still, the feeling remains as he considers the full extent of the consequences that would befall him, should he hurt his sister. 

He knew Ivan would be sure to carry out his threat, regardless of whether the injury has been done on purpose or not.  
He had a few moments to consider his decision before Belarus returned with two champagne flutes in her hands, concern veiled thinly behind her features.

Nikolaj looked Natalya in the eyes as he reached out and took one.  
He looked at her genuine concern and distress.  
Felt her quiet reassurance of “not letting her braht touch him” as she took hold of his other hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

He saw the determination in her eyes.  
And he made his decision.

 

“Been meaning ter’ ask. Would you consider goin' out with me, outside of country obligations?”

He didn’t know what the future would bring.  
He wouldn’t know if he’d really end up paying a painful price for that decision.

But as he watched a radiant smile blossom on her face,  
Nikolaj decided that it was worth it.  
Let Russia come with his ill words and vile actions.  
He most certainly won’t be facing it alone.


End file.
